Dr. Shauna M. Cooper
Assistant Professor
Barnwell, Room 554
Phone: (803)777-6859
Fax: (803) 777-9558
smcooper@sc.edu
Educational Background
Dr. Shauna M. Cooper received her Ph.D. (2005) in Developmental Psychology from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
where she was funded by fellowships from the American Psychological Association and NIH (Individual National Research Service Award).
Prior to her arrival at USC, she completed a NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
in the Department of Psychology (2005-2007).
Link to CV in PDF format
Research Interests
Dr. Cooper specializes in the development of African American children and adolescents. Using Ecological and Integrative frameworks,
her broad research interests include understanding specific socio-contextual factors (family-, school-, and community-level) influencing
both their educational and health outcomes. Currently, her specific research interests include:
- African American family processes adolescent development
- Race-related experiences (e.g., racial socialization; racial discrimination) and youth well-being
- African American adolescent females’ developmental and mental health trajectories
- Positive developmental trajectories among African American youth
- Developmental transitions (e.g., transition to middle school; emerging adulthood) and school/psychological adjustment
- Family-, school- and community-level risk and protective factors
- Understanding the interplay between education and health
In addition, Dr. Cooper is dedicated to translating her research into practice- and programming-oriented solutions.
She is particularly interested in the development of culturally-sensitive and developmentally-appropriate programming
(e.g., academic enrichment; health promotion) for youth of color.
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Representative Publications
Cooper, S. M. & McLoyd, V.C. (in press). Race-related socialization and the well-being of African
American adolescents: The moderating role of mother-adolescent relationship. Journal of
Research on Adolescence.
Rowley, S. R., Kurtz-Costes, B., & Cooper, S. M. (in press). The role of schooling in
ethnic minority achievement and attainment. In J. Meece and J. Eccles (Eds), Handbook of research on schools, schooling, and human development.
Cooper, S.M., McLoyd, V., Wood, D., & Hardaway, C. (2008). The mental health
consequences of racial discrimination for African American adolescents. In S. Quintana and C. McKown (Eds),
Handbook of race, racism and the developing child. Wiley.
Reid, P.T., Cooper, S. M, & Banks, K. H. (2007). Girl to woman: Theories, research,
and issues. In F. Denmark & M. Paludi (Eds), Handbook of psychology of women.
Cooper, S. M. & Guthrie, B. G. (2007). Ecological influences on health-promoting and
health-compromising behaviors: A socially-embedded approach to urban African American adolescent girls’ health.
Family and Community Health, 30(1).
Rowley, S. J., Cooper, S.M., & Clinton, Y. C. (2005) Family and school support for
healthy racial identity development in African American youth. In H. Fitzgerald, R. Zucker, & K. Freeark,
(Series Eds.), Crisis in youth mental health: Volume 3. Issues for families, schools, and communities. Westport: Praeger.
Wallace, J. M., Jr., Bachman J. G., O'Malley, P. M., Schulenberg, J. E., Cooper, S. M., &
Johnston, L. D. (2003). Gender and ethnic differences in smoking, drinking, and
illicit drug use among American 8th, 10th and 12th grade students, 1976-2000. Addiction, 98, 225-234.
Wallace, J. M., Jr., Bachman J. G., O'Malley, P. M., Johnston, L. D., Schulenberg, J. E., &
Cooper, S. M. (2002). Tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use: Racial and ethnic
differences among U.S. high school seniors, 1976-2000. Public Health Reports 117(Supplement), 67-75.
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Manuscripts Invited for Resubmission, Under Review or In Preparation
Cooper, S. M. (invited for resubmission). School-specific racial discrimination and the educational
outcomes of African American adolescents: The buffering role of racial socialization.
Rowley, S. J. & Cooper, S. M. (invited for resubmission). African American mothers' perceptions
of the role of race in their child's education: SES and gender differences.
Cooper, S. M. (under review). African American girls and fathers: Associations among father-daughter relationship
quality, academic engagement, and self-esteem.
Martin, P. P. & Cooper, S. M. (under review). Racial Identity: Mediating the relationship
between parents' perceptions of their church and their racial socialization practices.
Decuir-Gunby, J., Martin, P. M., & Cooper, S.M. (under review). African American students in
independent schools: Parents and schools as racial socialization agents.
Cooper, S. M. & Guthrie, B. J. (in preparation). Adolescent daily stressors and the psychological well-being of African American girls:
The moderating role of gender identity.
Guthrie, B. J. & Cooper, S. M. (in preparation). Triple jeopardy: Urban girls of color, health
inequities, and contact with the juvenile justice system.
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Honors and Awards
| 2008-2009 | NIMH Fellow, African American Mental Health Research Scientist Consortium |
| 2006-2010 | Early Career Fellow, American Educational Research Association: Division G
Research Group on the Social Context of Education (Four-Year Term)
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| 2004 | William H. Pillsbury Research Award, Psychology Department, University of Michigan
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| 2004 | Summer Institute Fellow, American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship Program |
| 2004 | Psychology Department Dissertation Grant, University of Michigan |
| 2003-2005 | National Research Service Award, National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development—National Institutes of Health
Michigan Teaching Fellow, Center for Research on Teaching and Learning, University of Michigan
|
| 2003 | Institute for Women and Gender (IRWG) Fellowship, University of Michigan |
| 2000 | Rackham Fellow, University of Michigan |
| 2000 | Pre-doctoral Fellowship, American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship Program (3-year Award)
|
| 1999 | William F. Little Undergraduate Research Award
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| 1999 | James H. and Evelyn B. Thompson Undergraduate Research Award
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| 1996-2000 | Dean’s List, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Office of Student Counseling Academic Recognition (4 years)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
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